Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1771

It was a bizarre sight.

Each strand of energy resembled a floating evil spirit. The overwhelming spectacle, unlike anything he had ever witnessed, left even the mighty Kang Jin-ho momentarily stunned.

‘It’s like being in hell.’

Kang Jin-ho didn’t know what lay beyond death. He had only experienced resurrection, not the afterlife itself.

But if there was a hell, it wouldn’t be much different from what he was seeing now. It was as if the souls he had killed were craving revenge, reaching out for him.

But…

Crack.

Even if those were actual evil spirits and not just energy, Kang Jin-ho had no intention of dying meekly.

Drawing upon every last bit of his demonic energy, Kang Jin-ho’s Crimson and Azure Swords slashed and slashed at the pouring energy. The sword energy, like black comets, left long tails as they soared into the sky.

Meteor shower.

The rain of black comets soared into the sky, and then higher still. The wailing evil spirits bit and tore at the meteor shower.

It was a sight that could no longer be called martial arts.

It was the realm of transcendents, beyond common sense and defying perception.

Kwaaaang!

Violent explosions erupted one after another. The explosions were louder than any bombardment from the sky, and the shockwaves were beyond comparison, sweeping through their surroundings.

The aftershocks alone were enough to tear bodies apart and crush bones.

The sheer force of the impact caused those watching to collapse to the ground in terror.

Lee Hyun-soo clutched his head.

“Crazy!”

This place could no longer be called a forest.

With all the trees uprooted and the ground gouged out, revealing its red underbelly, who could call this a forest?

The direct clash between the absolute rulers of the world literally changed the terrain and turned the world upside down.

Admiration turned to fear, and fear turned to awe. Although they were beings that could not coexist, these two were clearly at the pinnacle of their world.

Even those who hated Changwang could not help but feel awe, and even those who were furious with Kang Jin-ho had to acknowledge him.

The floating white energy and the soaring black sword energy.

On the surface, it was incredibly dazzling, but the killing intent and malice within were horrifying.

“Kuh!”

Blood gushed from Changwang’s mouth.

His twisted internal organs couldn’t handle the excessive inner energy and kept spewing blood. At this rate, his insides would be crushed before he could even attack.

But Changwang did not stop his assault.

Instead, he drew out every last drop of his remaining inner energy and poured it out, again and again.

Puddeudeuk.

His muscles were stretched taut, as if they would snap at any moment. Perhaps because he was using every last bit of energy left in his body, his skin, once as soft as a child’s, began to dry out like an old tree.

His parched tongue was cracked and licking at the blood, and his vision blurred.

It felt as if all his life force was draining away.

But even so, Changwang continued to unleash his energy.

Once.

Only once.

Even as his muscles tore apart, strand by strand, and his nerves felt like they were being scraped with needles, Changwang did not lose his will. Enduring this pain was nothing compared to the long wait he had endured.

‘Squeeze it out! More!’

It felt like life was draining from his fingertips.

“Hwaaaaaaaaat!”

Changwang roared, adding more power to his energy.

The world turned completely white.

Everything visible was covered in the energy he emitted. It was as white as a snowy field.

But Changwang’s gaze was not distracted by the sight. His eyes were fixed on the black flames burning beyond this white world.

Jureureuk.

Bright red blood flowed from both sides of his nose.

His core twisted, and his bones crumbled like chalk. Yet, Changwang did not stop his attack. It was as if he had no regrets even if he died attacking like this.

And Kang Jin-ho’s situation, who was receiving that life-risking energy, was not much better.

Woodudeuk.

The sound of bones echoed from his wrists. The sleeves of his clothes had long since been crushed into powder by the pressure.

The skin on his upper body was bruised and turning black, as if it were dying.

Energy overlapped with energy, again and again. Each one might not be much, but the hundreds, thousands of overlapping energies made even Kang Jin-ho’s knees buckle.

An immense pressure.

All his capillaries burst, and it was difficult to even open his eyes under the crushing pressure. Yet, Kang Jin-ho swung his sword.

It felt like swinging a sword underwater.

No, it felt like swinging a sword in molten lead.

The sword, which he usually wouldn’t even feel the weight of, now felt like a thousand pounds, threatening to break his wrist.

Eudeudeuk.

His teeth were grinding as if they would break.

Heavy.

It was too heavy.

He never thought he would feel such heaviness from Changwang, who was not even the Red King.

The bigger problem was that it wasn’t the end.

He could withstand the pressure. But with every swing of his sword, the chill that seeped through his hands was making him increasingly dull.

White frost formed on the hand holding the sword.

The frost that started at his fingertips covered his entire hand, then his wrist, and then his forearm, turning them completely white.

‘How many techniques…

Nine Yin White Bone Claw, Small Asura Demonic Art, and even Ghost Palm and Goru Demonic Art? [These are all martial arts techniques.]

No, that’s not it.

It’s similar but different. It might have started as martial arts that Kang Jin-ho knew, but it could no longer be called by those names. Changwang’s martial arts had surpassed the old and reached the new.

It had become stronger.

Terrifyingly so.

Only then did Kang Jin-ho realize that Changwang was also a martial artist who had never experienced defeat. No, he might be someone who had never had a life-or-death duel in his entire life.

At least, not since reaching this level.

For someone like that, the life-or-death battle with Kang Jin-ho would surely have given him great insight. Enough to propel him forward after decades of stagnation.

That’s right.

Just like the Red King.

If the Red King could do it, so could Changwang.

He had compiled all his martial arts and opened a new path. He had changed his own framework into the most suitable martial art to face Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho grinned, revealing his teeth.

‘It’s an honor.’

This was a pressure he had never experienced in his entire life. That meant that the Changwang before him was the strongest martial artist he had ever faced, from his time as the Heavenly Demon Lord to the present.

It was ridiculous.

To encounter such a formidable opponent in this barren era, when martial arts were so prosperous in the past.

Or perhaps, that was why.

The flower that a withered old tree blooms as its last is the most beautiful.

The funny thing was not just that.

Kang Jin-ho did not acknowledge Changwang.

He was someone who walked a path too different from the martial arts he pursued. Leaving aside personal feelings, Kang Jin-ho, as a martial artist, could not acknowledge Changwang as a martial artist.

But why?

The kind of person he despised the most was now showing him martial prowess he had never seen before, and emitting a killing intent that pierced his heart like never before.

‘You’re a martial artist too, then.’

Kang Jin-ho gritted his teeth. It was terrible.

And contemptible.

But…

Someone would despise and curse Kang Jin-ho’s methods.

There was never just one way to climb a high mountain. If you could push yourself beyond your limits, no matter the method, you would eventually reach the same place.

Kang Jin-ho revealed his bloodied teeth.

It was ridiculous.

In this situation where he had to establish his own beliefs like steel and trample on the beliefs of his opponent, he was instead coming to understand him.

What would Kang Jin-ho have done?

If someone he couldn’t possibly defeat was targeting his family and friends, would he have faced them fairly, accepted defeat after a battle of skill, and then accepted everything?

‘Bullshit.’

If he couldn’t win with skill, he would cling to their pant legs. He would throw dirt in their eyes and stab them with a poisoned dagger in the ankle. If that wasn’t enough, he would use his subordinates to launch a wheel battle [a tactic where multiple opponents attack in succession], and if that wasn’t enough, he would even mobilize an army.

That’s right.

What was the difference?

How could he criticize Changwang, who did anything to not lose, when he himself would do anything to not lose?

As martial artists, Kang Jin-ho and Changwang were nothing alike.

But as humans, Kang Jin-ho and Changwang were no different.

The reason Kang Jin-ho had been able to maintain his own standards was because he had always been in the position of the strong. Who knew what he would have done if an invincible force had invaded Korea?

Puddeudeuk.

His ankle, which had been crushed into the ground by the pressure, twisted, and his bones were crushed. His thigh, which had been supporting his body, burst open, and blood gushed out.

O De O U: De

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His fingernails were pulled out from his swollen hands, and the bones in his fingers were shattered into pieces. The Crimson and Azure Swords, which had always been sturdy, were bent and falling apart as if they would break at any moment.

His body had reached its limit.

The pressure felt like it would crush him at any moment.

But Kang Jin-ho’s eyes had not changed at all from the beginning to now.

“Hwaaaaaaaaat!”

A shout came from the front.

Changwang, who had been struggling to stay afloat in the air, had also landed on the ground.

But nothing had changed. The pressure was still squeezing him from all directions.

Paah!

At that moment, the Azure Sword slipped from Kang Jin-ho’s hand and shot away at a tremendous speed.

Wooduk.

Kang Jin-ho, clutching the remaining Crimson Sword with both hands, spat out blood from his nose and mouth as he took a step forward.

Woodudeuk!

The tips of his shoes turned to dust and scattered. Just for taking one step, the tips of his toes were completely broken, and his skin was torn off.

Kooong!

But Kang Jin-ho did not stop and took another step.

The ends of his hair turned to dust and scattered. Blood poured endlessly from his nose and mouth as if a faucet had been turned on. His eyes felt like they would burst, and his eardrums had long since lost their function.

Yet, one more step.

Kooong!

The Crimson Sword, thrust forward, trembled like a salmon swimming upstream, slowly moving forward. No, the sight was more like a dragon ascending a waterfall.

One step.

Kung!

Another step!

Kooong!

Woodudeuk.

His nose bone collapsed.

The bones under his eyes were also crushed.

His lips were beyond torn, and there was nothing left of them. The tips of his fingers were shattered, and white bones were protruding.

Yet, Kang Jin-ho advanced.

His mind, which had turned completely white, could no longer think.

He just moved forward.

Changwang was no different.

His once handsome face was now withered like a mummy. His hair had turned completely white and brittle, and his hands, reminiscent of an old tree, looked like they would break at any moment… but somehow, he was still emitting energy.

If there was a well of life within his body, his well had already dried up.

All that remained for the two of them was will.

The will not to be defeated, the will to win at all costs.

“Euaaaaaaaaat!”

“Haaaaaaap!”

The two, having drawn out the last of their life force, unleashed their final attacks on each other.

Betting everything.

Everything.